


Still Fairly Young

by Lokisgame



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-13 09:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11757282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokisgame/pseuds/Lokisgame
Summary: The morning heat has lost it’s edge, leaving only the scent of scorched meadow around the house and sound of crickets and wind humming amongst trees.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SourSusan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SourSusan/gifts).



_‘Nothing beats a quiet Saturday afternoon on your own porch’_ thought Mulder, stretching out legs on the banister and leaning back, balancing his weight on the chair.  
The morning heat has lost it’s edge, leaving only the scent of scorched meadow around the house and sound of crickets and wind humming amongst trees.  
The sounds of a peaceful afternoon consisted also of clinks and clanks of pots and pops of axe. Scully bustled around kitchen, making another cherry pie for tomorrow. He could smell the vanilla and melting sugar wafting from the open kitchen window, carried on a light breeze.  
Behind the house, he could hear the rhythmic pop and hollow clank of fire wood being chopped and stacked in a pile in preparation for the bonfire tomorrow night. Truly his mothers’ son, Will never liked leaving a job half-done. One of the best things about having a 17 year-old around the house was a chance to let him do some of the chores, so that Mulder could kick back and enjoy the day. He did his share Monday till Friday.  
Oh happy day, blessed farniente, 16 years of watching the grass grow, and he still wasn’t tired of it. Scully was right, getting out of the car was the best thing they ever done, and speaking of cars, a small compact was coming up the path, kicking up dirt and making Dagoo open one eye.  
“I know buddy, I haven’t seen that car before either” he spoke softly to the dog, who yawned and sat up on the top step like a small, furry sentinel.  
The car parked and a tall blonde stepped out. In her denim shorts and close fitting t-shirt, her killer figure a bright beacon of hope.  
“Hi!” She said a little louder than needed “I’m Dany, is Will home?”  
“Yeah, he’s out back” Mulder started to get up and pointed to his right “that way”  
The girl smiled, nodded her thanks, and went around the house as directed, ignoring the fact that he was being terribly impolite by not showing her around.  


As soon as she rounded the corner Mulder rushed inside.  
“Scully come quick” she stoped kneading the dough and looked up, puzzled “you gotta see this”  
She followed him reluctantly and together they looked outside, just in time to see their son kiss the girls' cheek in greeting, trying not to touch her, being all sweaty because of the lumberjack thing.  
It was a tough job and he lost his t-shirt somewhere along the line, and between swimming and baseball Will wasn’t a scrawny kid anymore, he took after his dad in that department.  
“Who’s that?” Scully asked trying not to touch anything with her flour covered hands.  
“Dany” Mulder watched the girl laugh and slap Will on the shoulder playfully, making him jump back.  
“Dany who?” Her tone turned impatient.  
“I know as much as you do”  
“Mulder, you’re a disgrace to the I in the FBI” she nudged him with her elbow and headed back to the kitchen “Stop staring”  
“I can’t!” He laughed “the plot is thickening”  
“How?” Scully snorted, washing her hands.  
“She’s showing him some piece of paper” Mulder took a step closer, hoping he could hear something through the window cracked open “damn, I can’t see anything from here”  
“Mulder get away from there” she giggled “go sit on the porch and wait for your suspect”  
“Why are they whispering?” The curiosity was gnawing at him.  
“Because he knows you’re watching” she came back and tried to pull him away from the window by his elbow when he jumped and practically ran back to the porch.  
“They’re coming back”  
“Why are you whispering?” Scully couldn’t hide her laugh anymore, but he didn’t hear her, already outside, playing innocent in the chair by the door. 

They were coming, talking in low voices, Will’s palm in the small of her back and looking very comfortable there as he guided her to the front steps.  
“Give me five minutes, and we can go together” Will smiled and ran up the stairs, two steps at a time, patting the dog’s head as he passed him.  
“Don’t ask her the ET question” he warned his dad.  
That piqued Dany’s interest “What question?”  
Mulder noticed that her face was pretty in an unconventional sort of way, deep blue eyes, narrow nose. Her high cheekbones gave her an elvish look.  
“Just a Scully-Mulder family qualification test” he beckoned for her to come closer and the girl folded herself gracefully on the top step, scratching Dagoo behind the ears while at it. His tongue lolled in a doggy grin, as if they were closest friends, which they probably were. It was Mulder who was late to the party.  
“A test mr. Mulder?” She smiled sensing the tease, realizing it ran in the family “and what if I fail?”  
“You can’t exactly fail it” he sat back in the chair resting his cheek on the knuckles of his left hand “but your answer will determine how much of Scully’s Cherry Pie, which is out of this world, you’ll be getting in the future”  
“Okay” Dany sat up straight, flicking her blonde tresses over one shoulder. She wore grass green Chucks, high top, and the print on her tee showed a cartoon Princess Leia with a blaster and a caption _‘fight like a girl’_ Mulder liked her instantly.  
“The stakes are high, but I’m willing to take the risk” and taking a deep breath she said “hit me”  
Lowering his voice dramatically as if he was about to induct her into their secret society, he asked her “Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?”  
“Mulder!” Scully shouldered the door open, carrying two highball glasses of ice tea, wet with condensation, ice clinking merrily. She handed one glass to the girl and smiled warmly “You don’t have to answer, I’m Dana.”  
“Hello Mrs. Mulder”  
Scully turned and perched herself on the armrest of his chair, handing Mulder the other glass, her arm wrapped around his shoulder, his around her waist.  
“Give the girl a break, Mulder” she scolded him gently running one hand through his hair “she just got here”  
“But I want to answer” Dany said admiring the drink, cold but not too sweet, just as she liked it.  
“You see?” he set the glass on the table next to him, and picking one sunflower seed from the dish, cracked it between his teeth, nodding for her to continue.  
She started cautiously, watching their reactions. Will warned her that his parents weren’t like other parents, but she thought he was teasing, turns out he wasn’t.  
“I read this book once, that said the alien’s are already here, but not in the flesh, they sent robots because of the distances and the strain of space travel on living organisms”  
“The Robotic Swarm” Mulder smiled and she relaxed, watching him lace fingers through his wive’s hand “By Ivanov and Berenbaum”  
“Doctor Bambi” Scully snickered tousling his hair again “we met them”  
“Don’t remind me” Mulder shuddered getting up “I can still smell the dung when I think about it”  
“Where are you going?”  
“I’ll be right back, tell her about cockroaches, Scully”  
“I’d rather not” but Mulder didn’t hear her, already inside.

He found Scully’s bag in the closet, rummaging through it, looking for something she used to keep the vials of samples from spilling their contents all over her purse or pockets. A piece if multipurpose equipment and an old field agent trick of hers.  
Mulder caught Will just as he walked out of his room, dressed in jeans and sneakers and pulling his favorite Alien t-shirt over his head. Fresh from the shower, Scully had taught him well.  
“Jesus, dad” he jumped startled when his head emerged.  
“Just dad, I tried the resurrection thing, not fun” the kid passed him in a rush, anxious to take Dany away from his parents, before they scared her for life “Will, wait”  
One hand resting gently on his shoulder made him stop and turn around.  
“What is it, dad?” Will was as tall as as him now, shade on his cheeks already showing around 5pm. He was his son in every way but his eyes, blue like his mother's.  
“Take this” he pushed the condoms into his sons’ hand. Too late to call him a boy or kid, he was a man now.  
“Dad, c’mon” Will rolled his eyes, just like his mom “it’s not like that”  
“Will, I’ve been seventeen once”  
“Mom gave me the talk when I was ten” he chuckled turning around, a little exasperated and more than a little embarrassed, but fully aware his dad simply cared “we’re just friends”  
“So was I and your mom” Mulder followed him downstairs “then you happened”  
“Where are you going?” Mulder asked gently, suddenly aware he might not get an answer.  
“The library, maybe pizza with Dave and Matt later”  
“Invite her to the bonfire tomorrow” Mulder said to Will’s back, feeling his boy growing up and away with each step now.  
“Sure, fine, whatever” and he was out the door, talking to the girl now “C’mon! Run! Before they start talking about cannibal carnies or something”  
“Goodbye Mrs. Mulder” Dany got up and ran after him, the central lock of her car chiming happily.  
“BYE MOM” Will called laughing over his shoulder, grabbing the car door and disappearing inside, the girl right on his heels, slipping gracefully into the drivers’ seat, the air conditioning waking up to life as they drove away and turned right towards the town. 

Mulder stepped out and wrapped his arms around Scully’s waist, hiding his face in her neck.  
“He grew up so fast”  
“He’ll always be our son” she leaned on him, sinking into his embrace “no mater how old he is”  
“Next year he’ll be gone” there was new sadness in him and she felt it, Mulder always took this type of change badly.  
“He’s gone for the night” Scully turned to him, throwing arms around his neck, searching for his mouth, her body pressed flush against his “we have the house to ourselves”  
The smile that curled his lips told her he caught on quickly. She wore denim shorts, soft and worn out on her ass where Mulder’s hands now rested, and smelled of vanilla and caramelized sugar, and he felt hungry for her.  
“Why don’t we take advantage of that, while we’re still fairly young, Agent Mulder”  
On that Mulder picked her up and her legs wrapped around his waist with grace and confidence gained only through years of practice.  
He captured her lips and carried her inside, breaking the kiss only to lay her down on the couch, one knee between her thighs, hovering over her.  
“Does this display of boyish agility turns you on at all, Agent Scully?”  
She grinned and caught a fistful of cotton in her palm, pulling him down, making him fall straight into her arms, her lips by his ear, whispering “More in the world than you can imagine”


	2. Chapter 2

In Will’s opinion air conditioning was the pinnacle of human achievement.  
“Your paren’t aren’t that bad” Dany said pushing one button on the steering wheel and filling the car with Fleetwood Mac, volume turned low.  
“They’re not bad at all” Will chuckled “but try living with them for an extended period of time”  
“Yeah? What it’s like? Because my parents only roll their eyes when they find newest issue of The Lone Gunman in our mailbox” Dany groaned “My mom reads nothing but gossip magazines and dad probably will soon put down roots in the couch”  
“Mulder only turns tv on for sports, everything else he buys on dvd”  
“Can’t he use Netflix like everyone else?”  
“He says you can learn a lot about people from their tastes” he reached under the seat and found the lever, releasing the catch and pushing the seat a few inches back “and he says that TV almost killed him once”  
“So what did you do when you were a kid?”  
“I read eve-ry-thing, like every single book that was within my reach around the house, I’ve read it”  
“Bookworm” she smiled glancing at him “What else?”  
“Played ball, cards, chess, whatever, a lot of running around the woods with flashlights”  
“How far is it to the nearest house around here?” She asked offhand.  
“A mile if you go cross-country on a bike, Dave’s house, why do you ask?”  
“It’s something I’ve noticed when I was driving to your place, your folks must really love their privacy”  
“You’ve met my dad” his tone matter-of-fact.  
“What about your mom?” She slowed down entering city limits “she looked pretty cool to me”  
“Yeah, she basically runs things at home, dad’s just there for the pie and heavy lifting”  
“Seriously?”  
“Yeah, first few months of her backing adventure were a disaster but someone had to eat it” Dany laughed “any other man would divorce her on grounds of attempted poisoning, but not Mulder, he ate it all, until she got good at it”  
“Wow, that’s like the sweetest thing”  
“I guess, I asked him about it one day, and he said, that if a woman saves your file, the least you can do is to eat the food she takes time to make”  
Will took out the printed page because of which she came to see him.  
“So library first, then this?” He read the flyer promoting the carnival in town.  
“Yup! No one knows when we’ll have a chance to see a real freak show again”  
“Alligator boy, Professor Blockhead, The Tallest Man In The World?”  
“Don’t tell me you’re not excited”  
“In the age of science? The Tallest Man lives in Turkey actually, and even if, why he’s wasting his time in a side show and not makes millions playing basketball?”  
“Maybe he has two left hands for catching things?” she laughed, trying to stay unfazed by his skepticism.  
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll go, I just don’t understand the pull”  
“It’s the mystery Will, unpredictability of nature”  
“More like random gene mutation caused by pollution in water and air”  
“It’s the price we pay for creature comforts, but don’t blame me for humanities carbon footprint, you turned on the AC” she was feeling like she stepped on his toe.  
“I know you only turn it on when it’s above 80 degrees”  
“If you don’t want to go, I can ask Matt”  
“NO!” Will cursed the big mouth he got from his parents, brutal honesty. Mom and Mulder argued like this all the time, and lately he saw that he picked it up too. The sad thing was, that when mom and dad came out unscathed, his friends usually turned on him, thought him stuck up and insufferable. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound mean, I really want to go.”  
“There’s a funhouse too, you’ll come with me?” Dany’s tone bridged the uncomfortable silence between them.  
“Sure I will” Will smiled catching her eye, relieved.

The library resided in a large manor house. The librarian, Mrs Stand, claimed the adults section was haunted and she forbid the kids to come near it. Of course in a couple of years they’d learn, that it wasn’t, and all she wanted was for them not wander around the place, playing hide and seek between shelves.  
”Hi Mrs. S” Dany smiled her brightest smile at the middle-aged woman behind the counter  
“Dany, Will” she took off her reading glasses and put down her book “I’ve got your order ready”  
“Great” Dany leaned against the high counter looking behind it to the small cart where the books waited for her “I know those aren’t on top of your bestsellers list”  
“Don’t worry about it, that’s why we have them, in case some curious soul comes up and needs them” the woman stacked the books on the counter, picking up the first one from the top “but funny to see you with Will, because this might interest you both”  
She opened the book and showed them the inside of the hard cover, the previous owner’s name was written in familiar cursive, the last R in capitals.  
“This was my dad’s”  
“Yes, he donated some of his books when you moved here”  
Will closed the book and read the title  
“Florida's Ghostly Legends and Haunted Folklore’ I wonder why my dad bought this one”  
“Is there anything marked inside it?” Dany took the book from him and scanned through it but Will knew that his dad had a habit of making small brackets with a pencil around paragraphs that caught his attention,  
“You won’t find anything like that, you have to look through it page by page” he said taking the rest of the books off the counter, all of them about myths and legends except one “King’s Dead Zone?”  
“That’s just some light reading” she said putting his dad’s book on top of the pile “Thank you Mrs S”  
“Have a nice evening” 

A large clearing just on the other side of town usually hosted a farmers market. Will used to come here with his dad when he was a kid to buy fresh produce. Neither of his parents had a hand for growing food, flowers yes, roses, hydrangeas, tulips, but carrots or tomatoes not so much. If you skipped the cherry tree and wild apples growing behind the house, a small bush of cherry tomatoes in the corner by the steps was the hight of their abilities. Will liked to climb the apple tree, it looked old and it’s branches were all twisted, but the fruit was sweet.  
Now the entire field was covered with tents and attractions, concession stands overflowing with greasy food that would make his mom cringe and his friends drool, caramel popcorn, roasted nuts, cotton candy, hot dogs and every other kind of food that should go with a warning from The Surgeon General. Lights and music mixed with laughter and calls inviting guests to come and see or take a ride, test their luck and win a prize.  
Dany glowed when she took his hand and pulled him into the crowd. 

“I want to take a ride on that big one!” She pointed to a tall swing carousel. Each seat hanging from the column on flimsy chains, people screaming for their dear life.  
“You’re joking, right?”  
“Come on, don’t be chicken”  
“I’m not!” Will bristled and ran after her, the carousel was slowing down.  
The kid who worked there was probably their age, he worked the seat belts with bored practice, pulling, tightening and double-checking everything.  
“Try keeping your hands to yourself” he instructed and moved to the next passenger.  
“Scared yet?” Dany turned around with a huge smile on her face, toes touching the ground, unable to sit still on a swing like it was instinct tat propelled her.  
“Me? Nah!” Will tried to smile but his palms were sweaty.  
“This is perfectly safe” she tried to reassure him, but he didn’t look convinced, not in the slightest.  
The horn sounded and the carousel started to move, slowly at first but steadily gaining speed. Will recited the definition of centrifugal force in his head, a force that appears to be acting on a body moving in circular motion, and tried hard not to calculate the speed of a body that broke off the chain. Dany turned around with a huge grin on her face and called out “HOLD ON!”  
The wind started to get cold, the distance from the ground became unsettlingly long and Will forced himself to look at the girl in front of him, her hair billowing behind her like a wild mare’s mane. He felt the force push him outward, the horizon tilted and they were spinning at top speed, Dany threw her hands up, letting go of the chains, and screamed with such joy he couldn’t help but laugh with her!  
They screamed their lungs out, the carnival beneath their feet, people, lights, all smeared into a blur, the sky was all around them, they were flying amongst gold and purple clouds. Will let go of the chains, feeling the wings he dreamed he once had, and closed his eyes, for a moment he was flying over land and sea, like a seagull, strong and free.  
The screams died down, the wind slowed to a light breeze, the ride slowed down to bring them back to the ground safely. His head was spinning when he got out, but Dany flung herself into his arms and he spun them one last time, the adrenaline making his heart pound, forcing itself out on their uncontrollable laugh. 

“Where to next?” He asked, holding her hand as she pulled him away from the rides and farther between the tents.  
“Funhouse!”  
The funhouse was probably the biggest attraction of them all. Will thought it must have arrived as at least six large containers and was assembled on site. The front was painted with various monsters and movie characters, but the line thankfully wasn’t as terrifying.  
“Okay, we have luck on our side” she smiled taking her place in line “I was afraid we’re going to have to wait for hours, but this doesn’t look so bad”  
“I think they let people in in small groups”  
“Two at a time” the man in front of them said, his friend looking a little pale.  
“How long between groups?” Will asked.  
“Five minutes maybe”  
“Thanks” he turned back to Dany “you wait here, I’ll get the tickets”  
“Wait, money” she called after him.  
“This one’s on me”  
Fifteen minutes they were next in line to be let inside.  
“Did you see anyone coming out?” Will asked in his most scary tone.  
“No, the exit must be hidden on the far side”  
The guy at the entrance looked at the light above the black curtain, and it switched from red to green. The sun was going down fast now.  
“Okay, word of caution” the guard recited the warnings, as he did for the previous three couples “after you walk in you might at some point be touched or chased by the actors, but no one will grab you or try to harm you in any way, so please don’t try to hurt them either, keep going forward, watch your step, and have fun” he lifted the curtain and revealed nothing but darkness. Will took Dany’s hand and together they stepped inside. 

He thought they were surrounded by complete darkness but as his eyes adjusted, Will noticed a faint green line running along the wall, about a foot above the floor.  
“Come on” Dany held on as he pulled her deeper inside, his step sure but not rushed. A quiet sound of crickets filled the corridor, an owl hooted in the distance.  
“Points for production” she said, her voice hushed, looking around not trusting even the bare walls.  
“Stay alert, you never know when…” he didn’t have time to finish the sentence when cold fingers bushed against his forearm, Dany yelped in surprise.  
“Told ya, stay alert” she could hear him smile.  
They walked on, weird lights appeared and vanished in the distance, darkness completely distorting their depth perception. They passed through a few feet long section where cut off hands and legs hung from the ceiling, still bloody and stinking. The green line appeared and faded, pulsing with maze’s glowing heartbeat.  
Seven steps farther, the floor started shaking, tilting and shifting under their feet, as if they stepped into a collapsing building, crazy laugh around them was deafening but cut off almost immediately when they walked through it. Strange markings glowed on the walls, creepy graffiti of skulls and bones. Whispers on the rain in the oppressive darkness felt a hundred times more threatening than a real storm, a mist of water and cold wind blew past them, something brushed Will’s cheek and he felt Dany’s hand tightening around his.  
They heard a faint scratching noise behind the walls, as if something was trying to claw it’s way from behind them, in the narrow corridor the walls started to bulge, shapes and faces pressed against the black fabric, stretching it but a horn made them jump, when Dany tried to touch them.  
“How much farther?” She asked quietly, her palm was sweaty but he held on, she never let go, not for one moment, and Will felt that he liked that, he liked it a lot.  
“I don’t know”  
Next section was a maze of foil strips, thick and rustling like hanging low ever-moving branches, they entered cautiously. Four steps in, Will felt Dany move closer, her other palm around his bicep, he could feel her warmth and took care not to stumble.  
“Something touched my leg” she whispered.  
“They won’t hurt you, I promise” he hoped he sounded convincing, because not one minute ago something brushed against his thigh as well, the dim light from the stripe on the wall now only a distant glow, the corridor seemed to be wider, he didn’t feel the walls anymore. They could hear growling behind them, low and menacing, red pairs of lights appearing around them.  
“I like horror movies” Dany whispered ducking her head, letting his broad shoulders clear the way for her “but this is worse than I thought”  
They cleared the maze and again found bare walls and a green stripe to their left “there, that wasn’t that bad” Will tried to calm her.  
“I wonder what’s next”  
Bright light blinded them and a earsplitting noise of a chainsaw woke up to life, chasing them, now, right behind them.  
“RUN” Will yelled and they fled, straight ahead, not caring what’s next, sheer panic guiding their feet away from danger. They ran for their lives and fell through a satin curtain into a warm summer night, the clearing behind the maze held no danger, only a warm breeze and last stripes of navy blue sky over the west horizon.  
Will still held Dany’s hand in his, both panting and shaking from adrenaline.  
“Oh God, oh God” she kept whispering, but was calming down quickly. Stepping closer and resting her forehead on his shoulder, she sighed deeply and then huffed out a laugh. Will patted her back, chuckling.  
“Oh God, I’ve never been so scared in my entire life”  
That made him laugh and hug her a little tighter this time.  
“Since when you’re such a tough guy” she looked up but did nothing to get away from him.  
“I’m one of the Spookies, runs in the family” He let go of her and guided them along red and white tape marking the path back to the carnival main alley, his hand at the small of her back.  
“Spookies?”  
“My parents, that’s what they called them when they worked together for the bureau”  
“Why?”  
“They chased aliens and monsters and everything else that went bump in the night”  
“Seriously?”  
“When I was 10 yeah, now I know they investigated everything unexplained and too hard to handle for anyone else at the FBI”  
“That’s pretty awesome”  
“Yeah, it is, just don’t tell them I said that” Will looked around, wondering how long it’ll be before Dany notices they’re again holding hands “I’m hungry, come on, let’s see if they have something decent to eat around here.” 

They found a food truck that served pizza, backed on site in a brick oven.  
“This is too good” Will said wiping his fingers with a napkin before reaching for another slice “clean and simple, pepperoni and mushrooms, just as I like it”  
“Worth every penny” she said swallowing, and before she could do it herself, Will reached and wiped a drop of sauce from the corner of her lips.  
It felt weird, parental and forward and sweet, and she was quickly learning that he was of the caring kind. From what she saw earlier that day, the way his parents behaved, it must have been a family trait as well.  
“So I see that you’re taking the scary-stories-around-the-campfire thing seriously” she looked at him puzzled, so he added “the books”  
“Oh, that, I thought it’ll be more interesting for the kids and if the stories are local, and you know, it’s summer and it’s a little light reading”  
“Light reading” he chuckled biting into his slice.  
“Have you talked to your parents yet?” She asked but Will dropped his eyes and shook his head.  
“Why?” He shrugged “come on Will, there’s not much time left, and I’d really hate to go without you”  
“I’ll talk to them tonight”  
“WILL MY MAN!” A familiar voice boomed behind him and a pair of large hands grabbed his shoulders “we wondered where are you hiding when no one answered at your place, hi Dany” a tall, brawny young man greeted her with a bright smile, he looked like a viking, blonde hair reaching his shoulders.  
“Funny, my folks should be home” Dave sank on the bench next to Will and pointed at the pizza with a questioning look, Dany nodded and he helped himself to a slice.  
“If you’re here, then no wonder no one answered, Mulder was busy elsewhere no doubt” he chuckled wiggling his eyebrows, Will made a disgusted face and Dany laughed “what? You’ve met them, right?” Dave asked her.  
“Yeah, this afternoon, I think you might be on to something”  
“Right? They’re all over each other all the time!”  
“Enough, stop talking my parents’ love life while I’m eating”  
“Birds do it, bees do it, even FBI agents do it”  
“Thought we’ll find you here” Matt sat next to Dany, offering her fries. He looked like a dark skinned version of Dave only with short hair.  
“Have you guys seen anything interesting around here?”  
“We’re just getting started” Dany said reaching for pizza before the boys made it disappear.  
“There’s a shooting range, a couple of cool rides, the night is young my friends” 

They tried almost every attraction that night, laughed and screamed in delight. Will won a stuffed Chewbacca for Dany, but got his ass kicked by Dave at the high striker. For a moment he thought he saw his parents talking to Professor Blockhead they went to see earlier, but before he could take a better look Dave pulled him away and he let it go. 

“C’mon Will, we’ll drop you off at your place” Dave said without looking back as they walked through the parking lot, Will and Dany a few steps behind him and Matt.  
Will looked a little uncertain, glancing between Dave and her, looking for a way to extend this evening, just a while longer.  
“I’ll take him” Dany said confidently, pulling him by the hand she was holding through the whole evening “It’s on my way anyway” she added without skipping a beat. Technically it was, but it was a helluva detour.  
“Okay, do as you like, the bonfire still on for tomorrow?”  
“Sure, we light up the grill around 5”  
“Hell yeah! C’ya there”  
“Drive safe!” Dany called after them, catching Dave’s smile and a wave from Matt.  
Will got into the car with her.  
“Thanks” he sighed, sinking into the seat, exhausted but happy.  
“No problem” she smiled backing out from her spot, Dave and Matt already speeding away into the night. 

They traveled in companionable silence, her phone hooked up to the car stereo playing some 70’s playlist his dad would be proud of. Will thought she was humming with the radio but he also thought he might have dozed off for a second. They cut through familiar darkness with windows rolled down and full moon high above them.  
Dany drove up to the house, the lights were on, Dagoo was no where in sight, probably already inside for the night. The mosquito lamp by the kitchen window kept the insects outside.  
“We’re here” she smiled, turning off the engine. “Thanks for a great night”  
Will smiled back, thinking about her hand in his and the words of his dad.  
“Likewise, we should do it again, soon”  
“You probably think I’m a terrible chicken after that funhouse scare”  
“Not at all, believe it or not, I was scared too”  
“Maybe someday I will” her expression turned pleading “Talk to your parents, I’d really want you to come work at the Camp”  
“I’ll talk to them, promise”  
Will was unbuckling his seatbelt and reaching for the handle, he looked at her one last time. He didn’t want to blow it, but he also terribly wanted to kiss her.  
“Come to the bonfire tomorrow night”  
“Will there be spooky stories around the fire?” Will huffed out a laugh.  
“Guaranteed” he looked up to the house, a familiar silhouette darkened the kitchen window, mom and dad were back, time to go before someone comes to investigate.  
He got out, but turned around, looking back inside.  
“So you’re coming?” Dany nodded smiling.  
“Great, but just so you know, it’s an overnight thing, and don’t worry about sleeping bags, we’ve got plenty”  
Dany laughed and he winked at her, closing the door with a gentle pop. 

As she drove away, in her rearview mirror, Dany saw Will running up the steps, his mom meeting him in the doorway with a smile on her face.


End file.
